Ger had spread his cloak out on a flat rock and sat with his arm amiably draped over Ceri’s shoulders, sharing a bag of sugared chestnuts with Os, and heckling Adeline between mouthfuls. Alun leaned against a tree a few feet away with his arms crossed, looking rather sullen.
“Why don’t you hop in and show her how it’s done?” Al suggested. Adeline swore his words were gritted out between his teeth, but Ger didn’t seem to notice.
Kai gave a sweeping gesture of welcome, and made way. Adeline couldn’t help but note how the tension melted from the taut line of his shoulders as his feet left the stream and fell on the powdered snow. Her heart gave a strange little twist; she knew he couldn’t stand the ice, for reasons far more complex than her own, and yet he’d braved it for her. Every morning. Wouldn’t hear of turning indoors, not when he knew this was what she would face in a few weeks time. At the edge of the stream, Kai turned and met Adeline’s eye; whatever he saw made him shake his head slightly, lips quirking beneath the bristle.
I’m fine,he seemed to say.
She smiled back, shrugging a little.
I know.
Oblivious to the moment, Ger grinned and brushed the sugar from his hands. “Why not? We’re probably overdue a tussle.”
“It has been a while,” Adeline agreed, as Ger took up Kai’s sword and planted his feet wide on the ice. She smiled sweetly, unable to help herself. “As I recall, the last time we sparred, I knocked you on your ass so hard you cried.”
Ger pointed his sword at her, swinging the heavy blade easily through the air with one arm. He was trying to fix her with a stern stare but the way he lowered his brows made it look as though two golden brown caterpillars had taken up residence on his eyelids.
“First of all, you only knocked me on my ass because you tripped me,” he said, a reluctant smirk tugging the corners of his lips. “Do that in an official tournament and you’re fucked. There arerulesonce blades are drawn, you have to fight clean. And second of all – of course I cried, it bloody hurt.”
“Poor darling,” Adeline drawled, suppressing her own grin.
They tried to glare at each other, but Ger broke first, a little huff of laughter falling from his lips like white smoke on the frigid air. “Alright Princess, let’s get to it.”
She braced herself, digging her heels in for as much purchase as the slippery ice would allow. Ger’s sharp-edged smile turned his handsome face feral; clearly he was going to make her regret taunting him.
He came at her with a feint to the left, throwing his weight at the last moment and sliding gracefully across the ice to come at her open right side. She managed to block him, but just barely, and the split-second panic had her stumbling, nearly performing the splits on the glassy stream. She just about managed to catch her balance before she was forced to jump and skid backward again, avoiding Ger’s sword-point across her navel by a hair’s breadth.
“Go Adeline!” Ceri called from behind her book.
Adeline heard Kai bemusedly ask; “Are you even watching?”
But she didn’t wait to hear Ceri’s reply, still trying to regain the grip of her boots on the frozen stream as Ger made his way steadily towards her and lifted his sword again, higher this time. He bore down on her from his slight height, sending his sword crashing downward so that she had to lift her arm above her head to block him. His full weight went into the blow, and the clash of blunt metal sang through her practice blade and jolted the very bones in her arm, turning her joints to rubber. Her sword fell with a clatter and spun away, several feet down the hard, shining ice.
Adeline clenched her jaw and braced, knowing Ger well enough to expect the foot swiftly hooked behind her ankle, but shrieking nonetheless as her ass smacked into the biting cold surface of the stream.
Fucking OW.
“Congratulations, you’re avenged.” She scowled up at him. “Happy now?”
“Immensely,” he grinned, offering his hand.
He yanked her upright, steadying her until she found her feet.
“You see what I mean about putting your weight behind the blade though? When you block, you’re entirely focused on holding your sword like a shield, and that’s worked out okay in the training room - but on the ice you need to be bracing your entire body, the whole time.”
“Your centre of gravity is off,” Os offered mildly.
“Your centre of gravityisoff,” Ger said, clicking his fingers and pointing at Os in agreement.
Kai was frowning, considering her with his usual intensity, eyes roving over her rather thoroughly. It might have made her blush if her arse weren’t throbbing with the promise of an almighty bruise.
“They’re right,” he said finally. “You’re holding your weight too low.”
Ceriwyn lowered her book to exchange a look with Adeline, rolling her eyes to the bitter grey heavens. They were all such experts.
“Any other pointers, gentlemen? Al, perhaps you have some thoughts on my choice of boots?”
Al grinned. “As a matter of fact -”
